John Grogan's Marley & Me, a wildly successful first-time memoir about a misbehaving Labrador retriever, has been on USA TODAY's Best-Selling Books list for 32 weeks. It touched a nerve with dog lovers, and now publishers are planning a slew of books about canine companions:
Dog Heroes of September 11th by Non-a Kilgore Bauer (Bowtie Press). No one would guess that Ego Alley and Red, two black Labradors rolling around on the floor of the Washington Convention Center at last month's BookExpo America, played a critical role in recovery after a plane crashed into the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. More than 70 search and recovery dogs are featured in this tribute to canine heroes. August.
•A Three Dog Life: A Memoir by Abigail Thomas (Harcourt). The author's husband suffered severe injuries from being struck by a car. The unconditional love of her dogs - Harry, Carolina and Rosie - is what gets her through the tragedy. September.
•Stealing Love: Confessions of a Dognapper by Mary Fischer (Harmony Books). Fischer, a crime reporter, writes of her tough childhood and how she spends her free time "stealing" dogs that are being neglected and abused. September.
•I Have Heard You Calling in the Night by Thomas Healy (Harcourt). Scottish author recounts tale of how his down-and-out life as a drunk and a brawler is turned around when he adopts a puppy. October.
•A Good Dog: The Story of Orson, Who Changed My Life by Jon Katz (Villard). Orson is what Katz calls a lifetime dog: "Dogs we love in especially powerful, sometimes inexplicable ways." October.